Marathon televised reading of War and Peace planned for December

A live televised reading of War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (d.1910) is planned for 8 – 11 December, in celebration of the “Year of Literature” in Russia.

One volume of the novel will be read per day, with proceedings beginning at 10am Moscow Time on each day and an expected total duration of 60 hours. The reading will be streamed live on Russian state TV channels Rossiya K and Rossiya 1 and radio station Radio Mayak, as well as online.

A variety of venues in Russia and around the world will serve as platforms for the reading: theatres, museums and historic buildings, among which are some connected with the text itself, such as the “Yasnaya Polyana” Tolstoy memorial museum, the State Historical Museum and the State Hermitage.

It is hoped that a range of well-known personalities will take part in the event, including actors, directors, sportspeople, TV presenters and politicians, as well as members of the public. A total of more than 1300 readers are expected to take part. This will be the first reading of the novel on such a scale.

“Tolstoy unites our nation as much as state borders and a single currency. It seems right to me that the readings will be seen not only in Moscow, but in every city in our country with the help of TV,” radio and TV presenter Fekla Tolstaya, the initiator of the project, told RIA Novosti.

2015 has been named the “Year of Literature” in Russia, with hundreds of events to celebrate Russian writers and poets taking place across Russia throughout the year.

Source: RIA Novosti (in Russian)